Lantern for bicycles



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

PGRA'Y.

LANTERN FOB. BIGYGLES. No. 252,371. Patented Jan. 17,188.2.

WiTN ESSES.

Fig.' Inn/WURl N. PETERS, Fllnwlhokmphnr. Washingloll, CLC.

(No Model.)

P. GRAY.

1 LANTERN P011 BICYGLES.

No. 252,371. Patented .1211.111882 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

LM W45? INVENTQR NV PETERS, Photn-Lilhulnnhlr. Wazhi nnnnnn 1 C,

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER GEAY, OE cAMEElDGE,"./xssienon TO'THE POPE MANUFACTURING" COMPANY, OE BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LANTERN FOR 'BloYoLEs SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 252,371, dated January I7, 1882.

J Application tiled November 10, 1,881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PE'JER GRAY,of the city of Cambridge, in the county ofMiddlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lanterns for Bicycles and other Velocipedes,

of which the following isa specification; The objects of my invention are to provide a small, light, and convenient lantern forfuse Io with bicycles or other velocipedes which shall afford a good lightthrownin the proper direction, and which may be secured either to the axle of the wheel or to a clip attachedv to the y head of the bicycle or frame of a tricycle or i5 other -velocipede, and also which may combine in its construction mechanism for attachment by which it may be, at the convenience of the user, interchangeably attached either to the frame of the machine or to the axle, inside the 2o wheel; also, to provide safety-fastenings for such a lantern operating so that, while convenient of opening and closing, they shall be impossible of loosening after once being put in place; also, to provide for such a position of thelantern, when suspended from the axle, that itwill, under the jarof the Wheel as Well as the friction of the axle, retain an average vertical position. and throw the light well ahead Onjthe path of the machine; also, to provide an et'- 3o fective detainer, by which the wick of the lamp maybe prevented from jarring down and causing'the light to be extinguished. These objects and the natu-re of my improvement will appear more fully from the following descrip- 3 5 tion and the drawings hereto annexed, in

which-` Figurelshows in section a lantern embodyingmy improvements attached by a clip to the brake bar on .the head of a bicycle. Fig. 2 4o shows the same contrivance, in rear elevation, attachedv to the axle of the driving-Wheel of a bicycle, the contrivance for attaching the lantern to the head 'or frame of the machine being removed. Fig. 3 shows the same contrivance open, with the lamp removed. Fig. 4 shows in detail the clamp or part by which the lantern is attached to the axle, and Fig. 5 shows the same thing fastened. Fig. 6 shows the lamp removed from the lantern, and Fig.

7 shows the brace or part by which the lanr 5o tern may be attached to the frame of a velocipede removed from the other parts of the lantern.

A is a lamp. B is a burner containinga wiclctube and wick.

B' is a thumb -wheel on a shaft extending into the burner and having a ratchet-wheel to operate the wick up and down.V

A is a detainer forthe thumb-wheel B', and is constructed of spring metal, is attached at 6o one end to the lamp and is free at the other end, and is so adjusted as to press against the periphery of the thumb-Wheel B', preferably at two points, as shown in Fig. 6, the operation of this detainer being to allow the thumbl Wheel to` be turned by applyingsufticientforce withv the thumb and tinger, (it being serrated, as usual, on theperiphery,`) buttopress against the periphery with sufficient force to hold it from turning unde/rany jarotthe lamp caused 7o y by the passing of the wheel over obstructions.

A2` is a hinge for the lamp, by which it may be Withdrawn from the handle to allow it to be turned flat against the side of the lamp for compactness.

C is a case or pai-tof the lantern containing the lamp at the bottom, and having air-holes (represented as star-shaped) at c, and having also an opening or openings in the top, and having one side hinged to swing open, as a 8o door to the lantern. As I make it, the back side,or`the side opposite to the larger opeuin g and glass front, is the one hinged for the door. This construction is preferable to the usual one of making the front part ofthe door in that it is light, affords better access, is less likely to sag under weight, gives less danger of breaking the glass front, and has other advantages.

C is the door or back side of the lantern,

just referred to. i

O2 is a polished metallic reliector, of concave surfaces, having an openingiuthe middle.

c isa small glass in an opening in the door C', which I usually make of red glass.

c2 is a small glass in the left side of the case 95 C, and c3 is a similar small glass in the right side of the case (if I usually make one ot' these side lights red and the other green, putting the red light. to port and the green starboard.

c4is a large glass placed in the front part of the case, or in a projection therefrom, of as large diameter as is practicable, and which I usually make of clear plate-glass.

C3 is a tixed loop on the edge of the door C', in which slides the loop and tid C4, the d end ot' Ctalso sliding in the loop C5 on the edge of the side of the case C, opposite the hinge of the door, and by which the door is fastened when closed.

C6 is a reflector, formed of polishedmetal, on the inside of the projection holding the front glass, c4, and which is on the inside of a couical cylinder, whose smaller diameter is about the same'as or a trifle greater than the diameter ot' the reflector G2. I

j Cfis a cap over the caseG, open at its sides; and C is a similar cap or top part of the case, also open at its ends, but so arranged with ret'- erence to the cap CT as to break the direction of air-currents, and at the same time allowa draft from the bottom through the top of the lantern.

c5 is a cleat on the inside of the case C,\vhich, with another one like it on the opposite side, keeps the lamp from rising up.

D and D are parts of a cylindrical clamp, having at the ends leather washers d and d2, which take the bearing on the axle K of a bicyle-wheel. These parts D and D are hinged together on one side, and the part D is attached by means of rivets or other positive fastening to the top part C. ofthe lantern. The advantage of fastening with rivets is that no loosening is caused .by the heat of the lamp, which is apt to melt solder when used in thatfposi. tion.y I attach the part D to or near the forward side of the top C8. Heretofore it has been customary to attach the clamp by which alantern was held to the axle to the middle ofthe upper side of this part C8, so that a vertical plane through the middle of the lantern on its longest diameters would cut the middle of the clamp. lf the lantern were evenly balanced, this would give to the lantern, when hung u-pon the axle, avertical position; but the fact is that the front part is heavier, owing to theprojection C6 and the glass front c*1 making an inclination of the lantern forward, or, rather, giving a tendency to the bottom to swing back, while the rotation of the axle by friction with the washers d d2 has a tendency to cause the lantern to tip in the same direction, and the result has been heretofore that the light was cast in front, at too short a distance forward of the wheel. In order to correct these tendencies, I have placedthe clamp D Dl upon the forward part of C, as described.

D2 is a loop secured to the top C8 by rivets.

d d are two leather washers or buffers af\ fixed to the ends of wire arms d3 d3, also aflixed to the top part G8. These are for the purpose of preventing the lantern from striking the hubs or spokes of the wheel when suspended inside, where there is a plain axle only, without shoulders or enlargements near the hubs. They are not necessary when these enlargements are present, as shown in Fig. 2.

is connected with the loop D2.

E2 is a hook hinged or otherwise attached to the bottom end of the brace E', and which, when the lantern is closed, holds the bottom end of thebrace securely' in position, with reference to the door C', by means of the staple or loop E3.

gis a sliding loop in the txed lo `ps g' g2` on the front side ofthe part D.

g3 is a fixed loop on the front side of the part D.

g4 is a staple or xed loop, also in the front side of the part D.

g5 is a'sliding loop and iid held in a tixed loop, 96, on the lower part of the front side of the partD of the clamp, and which hasacurved free end operating as a d, and by its curvature made to operate as a spring-tid, which it requires considerable force to remove from the iixed loop g4, when once it has been inserted with the loop g between it and the part D.

H is the head of a bicycle.

h is a clip having a tongue extending up` ward, as shown in Fig. l, and which corresponds in size with the interior otl the loop E. It is attached at its lower end to the brakearm H2.

K is the axle of the driving-wheel of a bicycle.l y

K K are the hubs, and KSK2 are spokes.

Instead of placing the one loop D2 inthe position shown in Fig. 3, I sometimes place two similar loops at the junction of the rear side of the top part (LB with the case C just above the top of the door, and make ythe brace-arms E E shorter to correspond. I sometimes also make an opening in the door C for the loop C5, which latter is placed inward on the case instead of outward, and thus get a double iid on the door C; but these modifications are substantially the same in their operation.

Besides the advantages already pointed out, I get by this construction of lantern an interchangeable hub-light and head-light in one lantern, thus meeting a frequent necessity for change of position.

When the lantern is to be used for a hublght the loop E, with its brace and link or hook, may be removed, since the arms E E are springs, aud the parts e e, which fasten inv the loop D2 and are kept in place by the spring ofthe metal, 'may be drawn apart, so thatv the IZO the door C the hook E is unloosed and the l loop E raised'in position, as shown in Fig. 3.

The great danger from hub-lamps has arisen from their becoming unfastened and falling between the spokes of the wheel, and thus causing a sudden fall of the rider. By riveting the clamp D D to the top C8 one source of this danger is overcome, and by the safetyfastening which I have shown the other source 70 E is a loop attached to a brace E E', which t shown in Fig. 4, the lantern is placed in position on the axle and the part D' brought down to close the cylinder. The slide-loop gis moved along so that the end which slides in theloop g2 is extended into the loop g3. This m'akes one fastening. The loop gis then bent over upon the fixed loop g4, asf construct it with a little` spring. This makes a second fastening. Then the slide-loop g5 is moved along, the tid end being inserted in the loop g4 and pressed along until the bottom ofthe curve rests between the parts of the loop g and the loop g4, the curvature making it a spring-lid, and this makes the third fastening. The tendency to open being all opposed and reduced to the lowest terms, it is practically impossible for the clamp to become unfastened, and it is also stronger for this treble fastening, so that it is,

less likely t9 break or come apart.

d4 d4 are loops in the top of the lantern, (showniu Fig. 3,) and there are two corresponding ones on the opposite side of the lantern. The pair of these loops immediately over the door C may be used for the shorter brace referred te above and shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 8 shows a removable detent or buffer, d', connected with shorter arms or fingers d3 d3, which latter may be placed in the loops d4 d4, and another one in the same way on the other side, and this form maybe used in .place of the'txed detents d d', (shown in Fig. 3,) and may be removed and'be placed inside or elsewhere when the lantern is used as a headlight or when the form of hub and axle makes them unnecessary.

Having thus described my improvements and all the partsof thelanterml cla-im as new and of my invention- 1. The described bicycle-lantern, consisting removable lamp A, open top parts C" and C3, and a hinged clamp, D D, for suspending the whole upon the axle of a bicycle, said clamp having a safety-fastening, and being connected by rivets to the top C8 at itsforward part, all constructed and adapted essentially as set forth.

2. Inabicycle-lantern havingahinged clamp, a fastening device consisting in fixedl loops g g2 g3 g4 g6 and sliding loops g g5, the latter having a curved tongue to form a spring-tid, constructed and adapted to operate substantially asset forth.

3. Combined in a bicycle-lantern having a case, C, and a lamp, A, the open top part CB,

a hinged clamp, D D', and a hinged holder having a loop, E, said parts being constructed and adapted to operate substantially as set forth.

4. A velocipede constructed with a ca-se, C,

containing a lamp, a door, U,.a top, G3, a front glass, c4, anda hinged brace, E E', bearing a loop, E, and connected with the top and rear of the case, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

l5. A removable holder for a velocipede-lantern, consisting in a loop adapted to fit a clip on the frame ofthe velocipede, a spring-brace,

Ef, for hinged attachment to the case of the lantern, and a catch, E2, for attachment to the rear and lower part of the lantern, when constructed and adapted to operate substantially' lel lingers d3 d3 for insertion in loops d4 d4 in the top of the lantern,substantially asa-nd for 8o the purposes set forth.

PETER GRAY.

Witnesses G. E. PRATT, H. I. N AsH. 

